Below please find the portfolio requirements for the Fall 2024 application. The 2024 graduate application is now closed. The 2025 application will be available in early September.
A filmmaking background is not a prerequisite for admission to the Tisch School of the Arts. We are looking for potential creative filmmaking ability as evidenced through visual and written materials.
There are two required components that you must submit in order to successfully complete your application for admission:
- The application for admission must be submitted online by December 1st to the Tisch Office of Graduate Admissions along with the required academic documentation, recommendations, and supporting credentials.
Access the online application link.
- You must prepare a five-part creative portfolio (detailed below) and submit it via SlideRoom (tischfilmandtv.slideroom.com). Please note that upon submitting your creative portfolio, SlideRoom will charge a $12.00 fee for applicants to use this service. You may pay this fee with a credit or debit card. Your creative portfolio must be uploaded via SlideRoom on or before December 1st.
If you are applying for the dual-degree program (MBA/MFA) please click HERE.
You can register and set up a department account at this link when the Grad Film SlideRoom portal re-opens in September.
Once you have registered to start a creative portfolio via SlideRoom, you may step away and come back at any time, until the final deadline. Please make sure that you save your progress after each visit, and do not click to submit until you are 100% sure that you have properly uploaded the required components outlined below. Once you click submit, you may no longer edit your creative portfolio.
Please note that upon submitting your creative portfolio, SlideRoom will send you an e-mail to confirm receipt of your materials.
Applicants for whom the $12 portfolio fee poses a hardship can request a fee waiver by emailing admissions.gradfilm@nyu.edu.
THE CREATIVE PORTFOLIO
Please prepare the following items for your creative portfolio package:
1. VISUAL SUBMISSION
Sample(s) of your work presented visually. Material done in collaboration with other artists is acceptable provided you were the major creative force (i.e., director, writer, camera operator or editor) and explain in detail the exact nature of your contribution.
Choose ONE of the following formats (i.e., do not combine video and photography):
Video: The submission should contain one complete narrative or documentary film with a total running time that does not exceed 15 minutes. Video footage of staged plays or theatre performances is not acceptable. Do not submit a clip reel. Please be clear about your specific contributions to the sample. You may upload up to ten minutes of video directly to the media page within SlideRoom. If the total running time of your video sample exceeds ten minutes, a YouTube or Vimeo link to your work must be provided on the media page. Please test your video prior to submission. If you are submitting a link, please be sure no downloads or passwords are required. We also ask that you do not deactivate viewer controls on this link. Reviewers will need to be able to fastforward, rewind, and see the video runtime. Foreign language films must have English subtitles.
OR
Photography (Stills): No more than 10 prints/images on any subject, black and white or color, with or without commentary may be submitted. The photographs may also be a presentation of work in other media, such as painting, illustration, sculpture, set design, costume design, etc. (Still images and scans uploaded to SlideRoom should be a minimum of 72 dpi.)
Please use the guidelines provided in SlideRoom when labeling your media (i.e. film or photographs).
2. WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS
You must submit ALL of the following:
Dramatic Story:The Dramatic Story is a required short narrative writing exercise. Write a two page story using one of the following themes:
- a situation where honesty is an excuse for cruelty
- a character whose jealousy can't be controlled
- the perils of modesty
- a proud character searching for forgiveness
- a story that focuses on an act of betrayal
- the condition of exile - any kind of exile: political or personal or both
- the power of money
- revenge
Format for the Dramatic Story: 2 pages, double-spaced, 12 point font, prose style (not screenplay). (Save as a pdf and upload to SlideRoom.)
Dialogue Scene: Write an interesting conversation between two people that reveals something about the characters. You can give a one sentence description of each character, but please include only essential details. Do not write back story. Do not include a cover page. Write a maximum of two pages in screenplay format, 12 point font. (Save as a pdf and upload to SlideRoom.)
Concept:
Describe one concept for a feature-length script, narrative film, or documentary that you would like to develop. Write no more than one page, typed, double-spaced, 12 point font. (Save as a pdf and upload to SlideRoom.)
Resume & Statement of Purpose: Upload copies of your Resume and Statement of Purpose to SlideRoom. These are also required elements for the application submitted to the Tisch Office of Graduate Admissions. Your Statement of Purpose should provide information about who you are and why you're applying to the program. In what ways do you plan to contribute to the program and beyond? What are your academic and professional goals? Tell us how your experiences, successes, and failures have shaped how you see the world. We are also interested in knowing what kinds of stories you hope to tell. (3 pages maximum, double spaced, 12 point font).
Please upload the requested items only. Failure to do so will be grounds for automatic disqualification. Please do not substitute, vary, or add extraneous or additional pieces. Portfolio materials cannot be edited once uploaded to SlideRoom.
Do NOT wait until the last minute to submit your online graduate application and your portfolio in SlideRoom. We strongly recommend that you apply 2 weeks early to avoid technical issues that may arise.
All components of your creative portfolio must be submitted at tischfilmandtv.slideroom.com. Our online portal offers additional instructions for submitting work. For technical assistance, please contact: support@slideroom.com.